The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed its registry not to list any fresh petitions relating to state bar council elections and asked aggrieved parties to approach the court-appointed High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee for redressal. The court said all grievances concerning electoral rolls, alleged malpractices, and timelines must be placed before the committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, had earlier constituted the High-Powered Election Supervisory Committee to oversee the conduct of state bar council elections across the country.
The committee comprises:
- Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, former Supreme Court judge (Chairperson)
- Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
- Senior Advocate V. Giri
The top court had mandated that all state bar council elections be conducted under the supervision of retired High Court judges and fixed January 31, 2026 as the deadline to complete the process.
Despite the supervisory mechanism, numerous petitions continued to be filed in the Supreme Court raising issues such as:
- Deletion of names from electoral rolls
- Alleged electoral malpractices
- Requests for extension of election timelines
Taking note of the multiplicity of proceedings, the bench directed the Supreme Court registry not to entertain any fresh petitions relating to state bar council elections.
The court clarified that all such grievances must be placed before the Dhulia-led committee, which has been tasked with providing remedial measures and ensuring a fair electoral process.
In December 2025, the Supreme Court had ruled that 30% representation for women lawyers in state bar councils is “non-negotiable”, directing that any shortfall must be made good through co-option.
The court also supported steps to increase participation of specially-abled lawyers in bar council elections. Pursuant to these directions, the Bar Council of India agreed to reduce nomination fees for such candidates.
The supervisory framework was put in place to ensure that bar council elections are conducted in a timely, transparent, and fair manner under judicial oversight. By routing disputes to the committee instead of the Supreme Court, the bench indicated that the specialised mechanism should function as the primary forum for resolving election-related complaints.
